MET LARP SRD
(2013 BNS MET System)
The Path of Soul Bonding
Summary
For centuries, improving their skills and mastering the arts of the dead drove the more magically minded of the Giovanni family. Over time, they came to understand that, if manipulated properly, wraiths are more than just tortured souls; they are sources of nearly unlimited knowledge and power. Of course, this knowledge was fiercely guarded and taught only to the most talented of necromancers. With the knowledge found in the Path of Soul Bonding, you have learned how to manipulate and utilize wraiths, drawing on them to power Necromantic rituals, to gain knowledge, and even to alter weapons and other objects.
Dark Vessels and Deathly Devices: The Path of Soul Bonding allows a Necromancer to create Dark Vessels and Deathly Devices. Dark Vessels are small, fist-sized trinkets or jewelry (non-equipment items) that contain the trapped soul of a wraith. With a simple action a Dark Vessel can be broken to release a variety of effects as described below. Deathly Devices are pieces of equipment, armor, or weapons that are augmented by the trapped soul of a wraith. The augmentations a necromancer can utilize are described below. In addition, and as explained below, there are a number of base characteristics that are always true of Dark Vessels and Deathly Devices.
Although the wraith is trapped when placed in a Dark Vessel or Deathly Device, her presence still permeates the area 1 step around the item. Characters unfamiliar with Necromancy often feel unease and dread when within 1 step of the Dark Vessel or Deadly Device or when touching it. Characters who possess the Medium merit can hear the wraith in her captivity, often wailing, asking for mercy, or trying to negotiate freedom. Most necromancers elect to store their Dark Vessels in a safe location until they are needed, although more than one has surreptitiously given a Dark Vessel to an unwitting victim in hopes that it will drive them mad.
Bound wraiths can sense the immediate surroundings of the object they occupy but cannot communicate with the mundane world. They may not use any skills or powers unless freed. These bindings persist for 6 months, minus the Stock NPC or Retainer level of the wraith. You may elect to renew the binding by spending the Blood cost once more. Renewing the effect in this manner does not require possession of the item. If the binding is allowed to naturally fade, you must begin the process anew by gaining control of a wraith and having the item in question in your possession. Necromancers who possess at least 1 dot in this Path can safely release a bound wraith by spending a simple action. While bound to a Dark Vessel or Deathly Device the wraith is considered a controlled wraith for the purposes of the Sepulchre Path power Summon Soul. Because the wraith is already bound to a Dark Vessel or Deathly Device, the wraith cannot be bound to a different location with the Sepulchre Path power Bind Soul. Unless explicitly stated, other powers or rituals such as Spirit Beacon that affect wraiths do not affect wraiths bound to Dark Vessels or Deathly devices.
When a wraith is released, it is immediately returned to the Shadowlands. Wraiths who are not generously compensated for their time and emotional energy tend to hold a grudge against the necromancer who bound them. If the object housing the wraith is destroyed, the wraith immediately enters a Harrowing. Wraiths are creatures of pure entropic energy; entities that exist trapped in the Shadowlands. A talented necromancer can harness this energy to power blood magic and wreak havoc in the living world. With this power, you manipulate the energy of wraiths, binding them into objects to store for future use.
System
The Harrowing
A wraith finds herself sucked into a Harrowing whenever she loses all her corpus (health levels), has a fetter destroyed, or is sacrificed to fuel a Necromantic ritual. A Harrowing is an intense battle deep within the psyche of the wraith that forces her to relive important moments of her time among the breathing. This might be an act of defiance or forgiveness in the face of cruelty, an act of heroism to prevent a devastating loss, or anything else of significant emotional impact to the wraith in her mortal days. The exact details of the Harrowing differ from wraith to wraith, but it is always an emotionally excruciating and exhausting experience.
Each Harrowing has a task that the wraith must first discover and then attempt to complete, though this path is typically obscured. For example, a Harrowing may show a scene with a robber poised to harm a parent while the wraith looks on in fear as a reflection of her mortal child self. A firearm in the wraith’s hand gives her an easy solution to the problem — kill the robber before they can harm the parent; or she can attempt to stop the robber without violence and end the cycle of loss and pain. Success or failure is based entirely on the individual wraith’s history and the lesson found within the Harrowing.
Once the wraith has completed the task set out in her Harrowing — be that to succeed or not — she is ejected near one of her fetters with 1 Pathos and 1 Corpus. A wraith’s Harrowing lasts at least one month; however, they can be much longer than that based on the severity of the situation. Should a wraith fail too many Harrowings, she will find herself sucked into Oblivion and transformed into a Spectre.
Players will undeniably want to have steady access to wraiths to maximize their use of this power. To spare Storytellers the difficulty of running scenes where characters go hunting to replenish their supplies of Dark Vessels and Deathly Devices, practitioners of this Path may obtain a single wraith by spending a downtime action. These wraiths are 2-point Stock NPCs of no special significance and with no discipline specializations. When the player arrives at the game, the Storyteller will make her an item card.
If the PC wants to find a wraith with somewhat uncommon characteristics, such as one who speaks Romanian or who has a certain non-discipline specialization, when the player arrives at the game she may engage in a simple test with the Storyteller. If the player wins or ties, she can find the desired quality in a wraith. If not, she obtains a standard 2-point Stock NPC wraith.
If the PC wants a more powerful wraith or one with a rare characteristic, such as one who speaks Old French, has a specific discipline specialization, or who died in an overly specific way, the Storyteller may employ the quest system.
Quote
“What separates us from the Ventrue and Lasombra? I'd be happy to explain. While the Ventrue were born to rule and the Lasombra rule the born, we Giovanni lord over the dead and there are far more dead than either could ever rule combined.” — Enzo Giovanni
Dark Vessel
Level 1Wraiths are creatures of pure entropic energy; entities that exist trapped in the Shadowlands. A talented necromancer can harness this energy to power blood magic and wreak havoc in the living world. With this power, you manipulate the energy of wraiths, binding them into objects to store for future use.
Once you have learned this power you may create Dark Vessels by imprisoning the soul of a wraith into a small trinket or object approximately the size of a fist. Spend 1 point of Blood and your standard action as you target a nearby wraith of Stock NPC level 4 or lower. If you succeed in an opposed challenge, the wraith becomes bound to the object as its corpus is absorbed. Only Stock NPCs level 4 or lower can be bound within a Dark Vessel. If a wraith’s Stock NPC level somehow increases beyond level 4 while the wraith is bound within a Dark Vessel, the wraith is immediately released and the Dark Vessel is rendered inert. The Storyteller may also rule that this power does not work on specific wraiths of her choosing.
For the power to function normally, the object must be breakable. If it cannot be broken with a simple action, the wraith will remain bound, but other functions of this power cannot be used.
By spending a simple action, you may break a single Dark Vessel and send the Wraith inside to a Harrowing while gaining one of the following effects:
Unless you have the focus, you may only create a total number of Dark Vessels equal to your rating in this Path, (so a maximum of 5). Creating new vessels beyond your rating in this Path will free the wraith contained in the oldest one. You may use Dark Vessels created either by you or by another necromancer with this Path. If someone without the Dark Vessel power attempts to use a Dark Vessel, they do not receive any benefits conveyed by Path of Soul Bonding.
Deathly Device
Level 2As a skilled necromancer you can manipulate the energy found in a wraith to alter mundane objects within the waking world. Once bound within its new prison, the wraith has no choice but to perform the desired function. With this ability, you can punish or award wraiths while using their innate energy to further your own agenda.
Once you have learned this power you can create Deathly Devices, imprisoning the soul of a wraith into a piece of equipment. Spend 1 point of Blood and your standard action as you target a nearby wraith. If you succeed in an opposed challenge, the wraith becomes bound to the object as its corpus is absorbed. Only Stock NPCs of level 4 or lower can be bound within a Deathly Device. The Storyteller may also rule that this power does not work on specific wraiths of her choosing.
Choose one of the following effects:
Unless you have the focus, you may only create a total number of Deathly Devices equal to your rating in this Path (so a maximum of 5). Creating new devices beyond this will free the wraith contained in the oldest one. You may use Deathly Devices created either by you or by another necromancer with this Path. If someone without the Deathly Device power attempts to use a Deathly Device, they do not receive any benefits conveyed by Path of Soul Bonding.
Twisted Metal
Level 3Wraiths have more knowledge than the living credit them with. They are more than just tools to be manipulated by necromancers — they are creatures with their own experiences and insight to draw from. You have mastered the art of forcing a wraith to break the limitations of earthly equipment. Your Deathly Devices are imbued with the entropic energies of the Underworld that allows them to function in unexplainable and twisted ways.
Once learned, Twisted Metal can be used to augment your Deathly Devices. Spend an additional point of Blood and a simple action to augment a Deathly Device. The item gains an additional item quality of your choice. The object must meet the requirements to bear that quality. For example, a one-handed sword may only gain melee weapon qualities appropriate to a one-handed weapon. This quality may exceed the object’s maximum number of qualities but, as a reminder, you cannot benefit from the same quality twice.
Objects imbued in this way take on a noticeable twisted and abnormal appearance signifying its augmentation. You may determine its appearance, subject to Storyteller approval.
This power lasts indefinitely, but you may only have a single application of this power in operation at a time, with a new application replacing an old one.
Soul Detonation
Level 4The process of creating a Dark Vessel twists and distorts the Corpus of a Wraith, leaving it on the verge of a Harrowing. Shattering a Dark Vessel in just the right way allows the energy of a Harrowing to be released in a chaotic blast of entropy.
Once learned this power can always be used to augment your Dark Vessels, turning them into potent projectiles. Spend your standard action to imbue the object with dark energies and throw it at an individual within 10 steps. To do so, initiate an opposed challenge using your Physical attribute + Athletics skill versus your target’s Physical attribute + Dodge skill. If you succeed in the challenge your target is struck by the vessel. Upon impact, a small nihil opens that pulls the object and the wraith to Oblivion. The target takes 3 points of normal damage and loses 1 point of Willpower.
You may use this power during Celerity rounds. Using this power destroys the Dark Vessel, regardless of whether or not you succeed in the opposed challenge. Objects destroyed in this way cannot confer the benefits of the Dark Vessel’s power.
Assimilate
Level 5Souls and wraiths are vital to the Giovanni economy, but they are useful for more than just powering Dark Vessels and Deathly Devices. For a talented necromancer, wraiths can be consumed utterly, turning their pathos into blood and absorbing their corpus into your own flesh.
You may bind a wraith within you instead of within an object. This is a special form of possession which you maintain control over, despite being the host. Spend a point of Blood and your standard action to initiate the bond, targeting either a visible wraith or one you have imprisoned in a Dark Vessel or Deathly Device. If the wraith is unwilling, you must succeed in an opposed challenge. If you succeed, the wraith possesses your body rendering any Dark Vessel or Deathly Device it previously possessed inert, and you may choose one of the wraith’s discipline specializations (if the wraith does not have additional discipline specializations, all wraiths have access to the first 2 dots of Dementation). You may utilize any level of the chosen discipline specialization for the next hour, after which the power ends and the wraith is freed. You must still adhere to any restrictions or conditions of that power, such as requiring Gaze and Focus when using Dread Gaze and cannot use it during Celerity rounds. Both you and the wraith must pay any costs in Blood and Pathos associated with the power. If one of you is unable to spend Blood or Pathos, you cannot use the power.
If you enter into torpor while this power is active, both you and the wraith are drawn into a Harrowing. The Storyteller will construct and run this scene based on your background. This may involve you remaining torpid beyond the current game session. During this time, you lose all awareness of your body, including that granted by the Awareness skill, and cannot reawaken until you have resolved the scene. However, your body can still be moved or destroyed. Once the scene is resolved, you enter a normal state of torpor.
You may only use this power once per evening, and you may only have a single wraith within your body at a given time. While assimilated, the wraith cannot escape or use the Possession power.